Book report on Black, Blue & Gray: African Americans in the Civil War by Jim Haskins

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass started the campaign to end the segregation of people of color in the Civil War, according to Jim Haskins’ fascinating book Black, Blue & Gray: African Americans in the Civil War. Over 100 novels by the well-known and award-winning author Jim Haskins were written with both adults and children in mind. The majority of his work emphasizes both the history and cultures of Africa as well as the accomplishments of African Americans. A majority of his writings were targeting young people whom he introduced to many elements of African cultures. He also wrote biographical subjects on many great African American men like Malcolm X. Having fought to have the people of color on the map, in is Black, Blue & Gray: African Americans In The Civil War, therefore, Haskins, therefore, tries to correct the records by underscoring the story of black Americans who fought in the civil war but were not included in history books on civil war. This paper, therefore, reviews his book on the contribution of African Americans in on both sides of the civil war.

The American Civil War can be thought of as the crucial moments in American history, and it is documented everywhere. In nearly every library or bookstores in the nation, there is a shelf dedicated to civil war with several books under it. What is fascinating however is that even with all the numerous books on this war, not every story is accounted for. The main cause of conflict between the south and north was basically slavery, and the issue of slavery affected the African Americans, and hence thy have to be a central topic in all these writings, interestingly they are not. In fact, they are not even acknowledged in their participation in the war. It seems some stories were deliberately left out in this historical documentation.

Jim Haskins in his book In Black, Blue, and Gray: African Americans in the Civil War attempts to highlight the role black Americans especially the soldiers plays in this conflict as it has been ignored by many historians. Haskins looks into the contributions of people of color before, during and after the civil war which took place from 1861 to 1865. The book begins with a historical record of slavery in the United States before and after the Revolutionary War, and the emergence of the abolitionist faction which attempted to eliminate slavery. The book also entails traumatic stories of the Underground Railroad, the framework that permitted slaves who had escaped to go to the northern Free states.

Haskins then delves into the role the black Africans played in the civil war. The black American did serve in Union and Confederate side. About 179000 black men served in various positions and also in navy. This number encompasses the northern free blacks and the runaway slaves from the southern side. At the beginning of the war, free African-American volunteered with the Union forces. Even though they had been in the army and navy during the American Revolution and the war of 1812, they prohibited from enlisting due to a 1792 legislation that banned them from having weaponry. President Abraham Lincoln also was afraid that allowing the blacks into the military might force the state like Maryland, Kentucky to break away.

Free African-American men were eventually recruited in 1862, after the enactment of the Second Confiscation and Militia Act which set free the slaves with masters in the Confederate Army, and the president signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1863 May, the Bureau of Colored Troops was formed to supervise the African-American enlistees. Recruitment was quite slow till awareness were made to recruit volunteers, Frederick Douglas persuaded the blacks to recruit as a war of ensuring a full residency.

The first sanctioned black soldiers comprised of enlistees from Massachusetts, Tennessee, and South Carolina. African-American never received equal pay or treatment. The white soldiers received a higher pay, and it went on for awhile until Congress granted equal pay. On the Northern side, racial discrimination was rife. Black soldiers were regarded as inferior. There was also segregation in units where blacks were headed by the white men. Since the whites were prejudiced, they failed to train the blacks properly.

Black units and servicemen arrested by the Confederates were harshly treated compared to the white prisoners. In 1863 the Confederate Congress made threats that it would reprimand captured Union Officers of black units. President Lincoln responded by issuing General Order 233 and threatened retaliation against the Confederates. Black soldiers played a key role in the fight for the Crater during the blockade of Petersburg, Virginia and it did form a huge part of the troop in the battle of Nashville. After the war, more than 179000 African- Americans had served making up 10 percent of the Union army. About a quarter of them however sadly died due to infections following injuries.

Black Americans also had different roles. Some worked as nurses, cooks, and blacksmiths among others. The south declined to give arms to them, however, used them to establish reinforcement and carry out camp responsibilities. Majority of the officers in the north did not think that African Americans could fight; therefore they assigned them non-combat responsibilities. The black men also were used as spies, offering priceless information about the Confederates and their terrains. Escaped slaves were known as contrabands in the first stages of war since they were perceived as the property of the Confederates. They got debriefed and were recruited as spies, going back to the slave territory with white agents acting as their masters. The information received from the blacks was so valuable than the confederate leaders admitted that the source of information to their adversaries was through their black slaves.

The African-Americans were also in the Confederate Army; however, a majority was in the slave labor force. There are some who went with their masters to tend to their need in camps. In some instances, they would take back master’s personal effects to his family if he is killed. There are also some who assumed their master’s position and got absorbed into the army. On March 13, 1865, a law was enacted which would liberate African –American slaves if they choose to enlist in Confederate Army even though they were to get the permission from the masters. Only a few black men enlisted due to this legislation and they still training when the war concluded.

Clearly, it can be seen that the black made tremendous contributions in the war being in both the union side and the confederate side. I think it is an unfortunate that historians would deliberately leave out the part which the blacks play and comfortably wrote half-baked truths. History is supposed to be factual and the people reading it ought to be informed of everything that took place. It is quite sad that reading these historical books n war; one may be forced to ask, where were the Africa- American in this War? If they participated in the American Revolution and the war in 1818, where were they in the Civil War? Remember the main cause of the conflict was slavery. It was all about the economics of slavery and the politician framework that control it. The states in the south wanted to affirm their authority over the federal government so they could abolish state laws they never wanted like those against slavery. The south as well wanted to expand slavery into the western region whereas the north wanted it to be of white labor only. So clearly the conflict was about slavery, and all slaves were African Americans; therefore it is ironic that one would leave a central issue out. Understanding that it was all about slavery, readers would be tempted to ask, were these slaves allowed to fight? Did they support the government or confederates states? Such questions are only answered by Jim Haskins books. What I like about Haskins is that he fights for the oppressed or undeserving. The black men comprising 10 percent of the total army is not a significant number to be ignored.

Work Cited

Haskins, James, and James Haskins. Black, Blue & Gray: African Americans in the Civil War. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1998.